Membership

Why Join?

Once you’ve experienced it, you’ll understand -- there’s a special camaraderie that develops when you spend time with others that share your love of sailing. When you become a member of OCSC, you join over 1,000 other sailing-spirited men and women who have actively brought sailing into their lives. The quality of a club is reflected in the quality of its members. Nowhere is this truer than at OCSC, where great people come together to share their passion for sailing.

Here are some of the reasons why people decide to join OCSC . . .

Our Location

OCSC Sailing is located in the heart of San Francisco Bay, directly across the Bay from the Golden Gate Bridge in the Berkeley Marina. Our location is unique in that it allows you to be sailing in minutes in one the world’s premier sailing venues, in the best wind it has to offer. The high winds, tides, and marine activity on San Francisco Bay make it a challenging yet rewarding location to learn to sail, and it is often said that if you can learn to sail here, you can sail almost anywhere. And, you have all of the Central Bay’s wonderful sailing destinations to explore!

Our Facilities

The OCSC campus includes three docks in the Berkeley Marina, a clubroom, a pro shop, several classrooms, outdoor patio and picnic areas, and a Fleet Service building. Our fleet of 50 boats is within a few steps of the main building. The upstairs clubroom overlooks San Francisco Bay, with views of the entire bay, three bridges and the City. Two large, well-equipped classrooms are on the same floor. The Pro Shop is in the main office and stocks everything sailors need, including gloves, foul weather gear, boots, hats, knives, navigation equipment, books, and expert advice.

Our Fleet

OCSC has over 50 professionally-maintained boats in the charter fleet, ranging in size from 24’ to 82’. Our fleet offers everything from training boats to sport boats, to large yachts ideal for extended overnight cruises. Click here to see the complete OCSC fleet.

Comprehensive Curriculum

OCSC’s course curriculum exceeds the standards outlined by US Sailing. While you’re here for class, we’ll keep you out on the water as much as possible so that you can develop the skills you’ll need to sail out on the challenging San Francisco Bay. There will be no more than a couple of hours spent in the classroom. You’ll then come back for included free study halls in Seamanship and Navigation, which you can attend as your schedule allows. In these, you’ll gain more in-depth knowledge on topics like right-of-way rules, aids to navigation, chart reading, knots, boat equipment, and much more -- all additional material that’s not part of your actual certifications gained here with us but will help you become a confident and safe skipper on the Bay.

Our Guarantee

Our guarantee goes beyond mere satisfaction. We not only guarantee that students will enjoy their training, we also guarantee that if they do not certify within the course, we will commit to them as much additional training as they need to get certified over a three-month period. In other words, with high standards, and a commitment to confidence, it’s common for folks to need more practice. If you do, you’ll have 60 days to enjoy instruction at no additional cost!

Class Sizes (student/instructor ratio)

Basic Keelboat and Basic Cruising classes have a maximum of three students and one instructor per boat. While there will sometimes be less, there will never be more. Bareboat Cruising is aboard larger boats and allows up to four students and one instructor. You’ll find most schools teach with four, five or even six students at the beginning levels.

Our Standards

OCSC delivers the highest standard of instruction, sailing from the best location on San Francisco Bay, on an exceptionally well-maintained fleet. The combination of OCSC’s high standards and the consistently fresh breeze in our training venue sets you up for success in your sailing endeavors worldwide. In addition, our low student-to-instructor ratio and course guarantee mean that you will get the most out of each and every course you take with us. Membership with OCSC’s unique sailing club provides you with access to the charter fleet, the ability to connect with other qualified sailors through our online Crew List, and a host of social and sailing-related activities.

Our Instructors

Our instructors hold U.S. Coast Guard captain licenses, US Sailing instructor certifications, are CPR and First Aid certified, and all have extensive sailing experience. In addition, OCSC instructors are hired only after a rigorous selection process in which approximately only one in every 20 candidates is hired to be an OCSC instructor. We also have the largest number of instructor trainers and master instructor trainers on staff of all the sailing schools in the US.

Our Customer Service

You’ll be met in the front office by a team of smiling faces who are there to help answer any questions you may have about OCSC courses, membership, chartering or any of our other services. We’re open seven days a week from 8 am-5 pm, so come by and say hello!

Our Fleet Service Department

Our Fleet Service department works seven days a week to professionally maintain the yachts in OCSC’s Fleet so that they’re always ready to sail when you are!

Our Commitments: Environmental, Social and You

OCSC is committed to making a difference in the world that we live in and has a guiding policy to use our resources for the greatest impact in both our local community and also where we travel throughout the world. We have chosen to focus our giving in the support of two specific areas: the fragile ocean environment and disadvantaged children's access to swimming and sailing. We’re also here to help connect you with the community of sailors at OCSC and, while you're here with us, will strive to make sure that you're always having fun, staying safe and growing as a sailor.

Crew List

The OCSC Crew List is an online email exchange that our members use daily to find both crewmembers and skippers to sail with. Everyone benefits by sharing the work, cost, and fun of sailing among a group of qualified sailors. Our members connect with each other directly to put their crew together and then split the cost of the charter appropriately, making OCSC the most affordable way to go sailing on a variety of high quality boats.

Social Events

There’s always something going on at OCSC -- Monthly Moonlight sails, sign up to sail events, photo exhibits, speaker series… You can count on us to fill your social calendar and help get you connected with other folks in the Club!

We get you sailing!

We’re here to help you get out sailing as much as possible! From our online services to one on one support when you need it, OCSC helps its members find crew and enjoy the sport to their maximum potential.

Our Culture

When you learn to sail with OCSC, you'll find that we're genuinely interested in your hopes and dreams. We're here as your friends and we'll be down to earth, sincere and authentic as we help you achieve your sailing goals. And, we're a lot of fun too :)